EW.com readers spell relief J-U-L-I-A!

Proof that the third time’s the charm: Julia DeMato – the contestant 60 percent of voters in our ”American Idol” poll said should get the boot Wednesday night – was finally sent packing after her third bottom-three finish. Not to worry: Most posters to our message board were relieved the 24-year-old will go back to doing hair:

Catherine Pimentel There is a God! Julia needed to be dismissed weeks ago, I’ve heard better singers in the New York subway.

Misty Okay, I think America was right to get rid of Julia, she seemed a very sweet girl, however I think she was so unsure of herself, that in fact it hurt her singing.

Michelle [To Julia:] The show is about singing, not licking lips all night. Faith Hill had to be cringing when she heard the damage and destruction to her song!!

Perhaps it was Julia’s wan version of Hill’s ”Breathe” that did her in. But roughly 65 percent of you thought that last week’s country-rock theme was a poor fit for ALL the contestants:

Katrina The show theme was terrible. I almost stopped watching after Josh bounded on that stage singing that awful country song. I could totally relate to Simon when he said he didn’t understand this type of music. Whoever thought of this new theme should be fired! Such a lame nod to patriotism. It totally clashed with the show’s purpose–to find a pop idol.

Irene I hated last night’s Country Idol. The reason why it was a disaster is b/c most of the contestants do not sing country songs. The point of AI is to find a Pop singer. Country music is a totally different genre… I’d hate it if a talented singer like Trenyce gets booted off because country isn’t her forte.

Still, others of you thought the theme posed an interesting challenge to the group, and showed who really had range:

rla give me a break…country proved who can carry a tune without screaming…is that what an american idol is supposed to be?…someone who can scream the loudest?

debbie Just goes to show, not everyone can sing country. Maybe that is the real reason they haven’t tried it in the past. Stick to the easy stuff, you will surely find a winner that way! Country has never been so popular as it is right now. American Idol is the name of the show, and what is more American than country?

So, now that Julia’s gone, who’s the contestant you love to hate? It’s a pretty even split between Kimberly Caldwell and Corey Clark:

Tinka Did anyone else notice how Kimberly C always hogs the camera when the contestant who has gotten voted off is singing their last song? Hopefully next week the stage will be all hers.

But wait – what’s this we hear? A bit of a whisper campaign against Clay? Though Mr. Aiken remains the favorite, with many of his fans clogging the boards, a handful of posters didn’t mind Simon’s criticism that he’s beginning to sound the same each week:

Grace I thought it was great that no one but Simon got to comment on Clay’s performance. Sure, it might have been unfair, but Clay acts all high and mighty, and I hope this humbled him a bit, or at least made a dent in his monster ego.

tonedeaf Simon…is the only one making sense! Clay has got to pick up the flow if he wants to beat out Ruben. He needs a peppy song next week to show it all off…

Ken First of all Clay belongs on Broadway. And Simon is correct… When was the last time we heard Clay do a fast-paced song? He has not, he has only done ballads…. At least the other contestants are mixing it up a little bit and showing us more than one style of a song.

So what’s up for next Tuesday? One reader’s already trying to make predictions:

monkey I wonder what Ruben will wear next week. The big shirt with the 205, or the other big shirt with the 205? Hmmm…